Beyond doubt Goa is becoming with every passing day a very ugly place to live in. You tread down any street and the odds are you will find dust, rubbish and potholes. What is more, the air we breathe is getting more and more polluted causing a significant environmental health problem. Though we often take the air we breathe for granted we must realize that polluted air is an umbrella term for airborne chemicals, particulate matter and biological materials that have a very negative impact on human health.
According to the most recent environmental studies, even cardiopulmonary deaths can be attributed to ambient dust. In Goa, now that mining has come to a halt, Goa State Pollution Control Board has found that we have been silently suffering from air pollution generated mainly by improperly maintained old diesel engine vehicles, diesel generator sets, rampant construction and demolition activities and open burning of plastic. So what is the solution? Most will say… it is better to remain home-bound. But regrettably that is neither feasible nor will provide the magic wand.
Published in the journal “Proceedings of the Royal Society” a new study alerts us to the fact that in our very own abodes we’ve got a lot of “unsuspected roommates”, namely, the “house dust” that contains thousands of bacteria and fungi which we can’t even see. The researchers analyzed dust from about 1,200 homes across the continental United States, and found that the dust in each home contained an average of more than 5,000 species of bacteria and about 2,000 species of fungi. “We truly live in a microbial zoo,” they concluded. And if this is true about advanced countries, what about “Goa Dourada?
One of the key takeaways of the study, the authors say, is that if you want to change what you breathe inside your house you would have “to change the people, the dusty mattresses, the cupboards and the pets you live with”. On a lighter note, let me say, my wife who loves animals may favour changing people… but pets never! The above study findings have proven useful in allergy research.
What is dust? It is a common air pollutant generated by many different sources and activities. The particles we inhale are tiny solid and liquid substances that can float in the air. Many particles are invisible. The natural erosion of soil, sand and rock is the most common source of dust. Pollen, microscopic organisms, plant material and dander (dead skin cells shed by animals) are also part of the dust in the environment. Man-made dust is common in urban areas. It is created even by simple activities like personal hobbies, such as gardening and rearing of pets.
The type and size of a dust particle determines how toxic the dust is. However, the possible harm it may cause to your health is mostly determined by how long you have been exposed to it. Dust particles small enough to be inhaled may cause irritation of the eyes, coughing, sneezing, hay fever and asthma attacks. For people with respiratory conditions like asthma, chronic obstructive airways disease, or emphysema even small increases in house dust concentration can make their symptoms worse.
Luckily, breathing low levels of household or urban dust does not cause health problems in most individuals. In contrast, people with existing respiratory and heart conditions, including smokers, are at greater risk of developing long-term health problems. So also babies, young children and elderly people may develop health problems from long term exposure to high levels of dust.
To avoid respiratory or other problems caused by exposure to house dust, a few control methods should be introduced. Some examples are: impermeable mattress and pillow covers, detergent and hot wash bedding, steam cleaning of carpets, dehumidifiers and mite killing sprays. Further, use of vacuums instead of brooms, good housekeeping and exhaust systems, efficient storage, transport and controlled disposal of dangerous waste will also work wonders.
Every advanced country rigorously controls dust levels in the air through a range of measures. Australian air quality standards for dust are more rigorous than those in the USA, UK and Europe. But what happens in Goa is a question mark.
Contemporary western medicine has sadly focused for the most part on the treatment of diseases, rather than on their prevention. To add to it medical schools primarily teach that “prescription drugs” are the most powerful tools doctors have for treating disease; diet, personal and household hygiene and other lifestyle changes are almost never presented as therapeutic tools. Further, to mislead us, medical representatives glibly distribute drug samples as if pills and tablets are the ultimate thing.
But the old adage reminds us, “Prevention is better than cure”. It is better to try to keep a bad thing from happening than it is to fix it once it has happened. While we ourselves strive to ensure a safe home environment, it is the bounden duty of the Government to promote a clean ambient air for better health and longevity of its citizens. Obviously, a distant dream in Goa where our politicians are primarily involved in corruption and malfeasances rather than people’s welfare.
(Dr. Francisco Colaço is a seniormost consulting physician.)
